Tails' Worst Nighmare
by phineas81707
Summary: Dr Eggman has stepped up his game, and has kidnapped Sonic. Not only that, but there is a nefarious plot to form a robot army! It is up to Tails to save Sonic, put a stop to Eggman, and defeat his metallic nemesis
1. Not The Fall That Kills You

*FWOOSH*

The sound of a sonic boom echoed through the air, as Sonic began to approach his top speed. He rarely ran that fast, but this time it was important.

Tails had been kidnapped!

Sonic leaped onto several tree branches, not staying on any one long enough for it to sag under his weight. He jumped onto Eggman's machine, and approached the caged Tails. Eggman completely ignored him.

_Huh. This'll be a piece of cake. _Sonic thought to himself, touching the cage's lock.

*BANG*

The cage, Tails included, surrounded Sonic in an instant. Eggman hopped out of the cockpit, and walked over to Sonic triumphantly.

"You! Where's Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, don't worry about your friend… yet. I haven't laid a finger on him. I've learned my lesson from those good-for-nothing Zeti. Tails is not worth attempting to take."

"Oh, well, in that case…" Sonic turned to leave, before bumping straight into the cage.

"It's you I'm after. You've been a thorn in my side since the very beginning. But… you couldn't tell computer code from hexadecimal sequences. You'll be easy prey!"

_Shoot, he's right. I'm gonna need Tails to get out of this one. It's not like Tails will struggle once he gets here._

"I know what you're thinking. Yes, Tails will be tricky to take care of. But I have a plan for that," Dr Eggman menacingly stated, pulling out a remote.

* * *

"Tails! Where's Sonic?" Amy asked Tails, as he returned from his test flight on the Tornado.

"Huh? I don't know… he was here when I left. Something must have happened since then."

"You were gone a long time, Tails… maybe Sonic went looking for you?" Knuckles suggested, walking in on the two. Tails sunk into deep thought.

"I've got it! Did Sonic take the Miles Electric with him?" Tails asked, his gaze on the mantel on which it was kept.

"We tried that. It didn't work," Amy sighed, holding up Sonic's Miles Electric. Tails pulled his own out. He placed his fingers on the touch screen, and began tapping it rapidly. He stepped outside, and the Miles Electric started beeping.

"He went this way. I'll be back in two tails!" Tails said, confident that he would succeed.

* * *

*BZZZT* *BUZZ*

"What? What happened? This thing's going haywire! But what could have caused it…" The sound of a helicopter's propellers sounded, and suddenly stopped. Tails looked up.

"Who are you?" he asked the odd fox who had made the sound.

_"__I? I am Metal Tails! Eggman got sick of trying to make you obey him, so he made me. My first orders? Destroy the defective model. Miles… you are going to die." _

Metal Tails, as he called himself, raised his arm cannon. The half of his face that resembled a face grinned maniacally. The cannon charged its energy, and fired.

*KABOOM*

Tails didn't dodge in time, and was sent into the sky.

_"__That should do it. But just to make sure…" _Metal Tails fired another shot. This time, a Buzz Bomber came out of the weapon.

_"__I want you to go in that direction, and find the defective Tails. Do not return without his body. I want to make sure he is very definitely dead."_

_*BEEP*_

The Buzz Bomber flew off into the sky, tracing the trajectory that Tails would have made. Metal Tails shifted his tails back into helicopter mode, and flew off in a new direction.

**Short, but this is merely a taster. Or a prologue. Our choice.**

**This sets up the villain and the original motivation. Several elements of this story will change by the second chapter (which is not done). Sadly, this means another story in which the interface is lying to you.**

**...Proves how much Sonic I know. I've got no signout for this franchise.**


	2. Burning Rivalry

The room was dark. The only illumination was from seven crystals spread around the centre an equal distance apart, and a faint glow coming from the centre. This faint glow had a fire-like quality. The yellow crystal began flashing. The fire-like glow in the centre moved about, revealing the figure bearing it.

"Really? Where and when?" the woman asked. The yellow crystal flashed again, revealing a series of short images. The first image featured a metal fox blasting a real one into the sky. The second showed the fox in a small cave, surrounded by perspiration. The third depicted an insect-like droid taking aim at the fox, and killing it for good. The fourth showed a dystopian society, with the metal fox at the head. The figure nodded. The seven crystals left their positions, and went into the figure's body, sending her from the room.

* * *

Tails opened his eyes, if only by a bit. The cave was luminous, but plenty damp. He wondered how he had arrived in it. He tried to stand up, but found himself unable to do so. He wondered why, not seeing anything on top of him. Then he realised he was simply too exhausted to do so. He wanted nothing more than to go back to rest, but his body would not allow it. The rocks digging into his back were too sharp. He heard a buzzing sound. Turning his head, he saw a Buzz Bomber flying towards him. The tail arched around, and took aim at Tails' chest.

_So this is how I die… I hoped I'd live a little longer…_

Tails closed his eyes, resigned to the fact he was going to die.

* * *

*SIZZLE*

Tails heard the sound of flames, and the cave he was in felt a lot warmer all of a sudden. He couldn't open his eyes a second time. He heard his saviour walk over to him, and pick him off the ground.

"Relax, boy. You're in good hands," a voice told him. Tails felt the voice was familiar, but could not recognise its owner. He knew it belonged to a girl.

That was all he could tell.

* * *

Metal Tails was drumming away in a dark room, typing in a keyboard. The rooms only light, the monitor of his computer, turned green to show a map.

_"__Dammit! That Buzz Bomber was a complete failure!" _he said, cursing. Tails had gotten away, and was still alive. Metal Tails pondered how best to go after him now. His eyes drifted to his own Metallic sheen.

_"__I know what I have to do." _He opened his Metallic arm, and turned on his communicator.

_"__Dr Eggman, send me Metal Sonic."_

"But Metal Tails, he's imperfect! He's never beaten Sonic and he'll never beat Tails! I'm surprised you managed to!" Eggman responded.

_"__Don't think I don't know about Metal Sonic's imperfections. Send Metal Sonic to the Robotization Chamber. …And bring me Sonic, as well. Make sure he cannot escape."_

* * *

When Tails next woke, he felt himself in an unfamiliar bed. He found himself able to move this time, and took the opportunity to look around. The room was only dimly lit, with all the light stemming from candles placed around the room. From that, Tails could predict that his saviour preferred darkness, but was willing to make allowances for Tails. He could also see a bit beyond the candles, and find that his room was rather lavish, and decorated with a few gems here and there.

"You're awake," the woman's voice said. Tails turned his head towards her. She stepped into the light, revealing her purple coat, her light purple face, and her long white legs.

Revealing she was Blaze the Cat.

"Hi, Blaze!" Tails said cheerfully. Blaze smiled back and waved, before returning to a solemn façade.

"What happened?" Tails asked.

"I saw your encounter with that metal fox. Tails…" Blaze started, before faltering. She didn't know how to put what happened into words. However, she found she didn't necessarily need to. Her blue gem started flashing, and she picked it up and held it in the air. The blue gem spun around, and managed to show an actual vision.

* * *

_"__Nice to see you, Sonic. Metal Sonic, thank you for coming," _Metal Tails said.

_"__DO NOT WASTE TIME, METAL FOX," _Metal Sonic stated in a robotic tone. Metal Tails shook his head, and turned to the heavily chained Sonic.

_"__Your friend got away. I don't know why you ever trusted that defective model. But you are going to tell me what happened to him. Now," _Metal Tails said, raising his left hand.

"You don't scare me. Now do you mind letting off these chains so I can fight you proper, or do you have to keep me in them so you don't get hurt?"

_"__Fine answer. Just what I was hoping for," _Metal Tails said. He reached forward, and deftly had Sonic's chains changed so he lay in front of a large ray.

_"__Metal Sonic, stand on the yellow circle," _Metal Tails commanded, his eyes drilling into Sonic.

_"__COMMAND NOT ACCEPTED."_

_"__I can dismantle you without taking my eye off Sonic here," _Metal Tails threatened. Metal Sonic complied with Metal Tails' request.

_"__And now…" _Metal Tails said, throwing a switch. Sonic convulsed in pain, and a blue energy flowed from Sonic into the machine. Metal Sonic seemed to glow with energy.

* * *

"Oh no, Sonic!" Tails gasped. The blue crystal stopped its vision, and landed in Blaze's palm.

"I have to stop him!" Tails said.

"Yes you do. And I'm going to help you," Blaze told him.

"…You are?" Tails asked. Blaze nodded. Her red crystal started to shine, but she decided not to activate its warning. She took Tails hand, and disappeared with a satisfying poof.

* * *

*THWACK* *BOOM*

Knuckle's fists flew in and out, knocking Badniks left and right. Amy was standing back, trying to keep the animals back. Blaze and Tails appeared close by, behind a tree. Tails moved to help Knuckles, before Blaze gasped. She held her arm out, and Tails was stopped.

"What are you doing?" Tails asked. Blaze turned her head around, and looked up into the sky. Metal Tails had descended. Amy gasped, and followed the animals into the woods. Metal Tails rolled his eyes, and permitted her to escape. He looked directly at Knuckles.

"So… Eggman has made himself a new general. Hasn't he learned what happens when he tries?" Knuckles asked, cracking his knuckles.

_"__That is irrelevant. What I'm really here for… is you," _Metal Tails said, shooting a blast at Knuckles lightning fast. Metal Tails stepped over the paralysed Knuckles.

_"__You know, you always were shafted… what is strength, when it's all about speed? Well… how about… a whole lot of strength?" _Metal Tails asked. A Buzz Bomber flew down beside Metal Tails, and he plucked it from the sky. Blaze and Tails gasped in horror, as Metal Tails deft hands moved around the Bomber too fast to truly witness what was happening. Metal Tails stepped back, and looked at his new creation.

A Metallic sheen the colour of rubies. Two appendages ending in white fists. To all intents and purposes, this was Knuckles. But something was off.

This was Metal Tails' new bruiser. Metal Knuckles.

Metal Knuckles pressed a button on one of his wrists, and the sound of knuckles cracking echoed about. He looked down, and smiled at Knuckles.

_"__TARGET ACQUIRED!" _Metal Knuckles said, launching a haymaker directly at the real Knuckles. The blow sent him flying high into the sky. Metal Knuckles gave a monotone chuckle. Metal Tails joined in with a bit of personality.

"That…" Tails started, before pausing. He was lost for words. Metal Tails had created a copy of Knuckles as easily as he had ordered breakfast. This surpassed mere technological wizardry… and ethics.

"Dr Eggman would never sanction this. He is not that cruel," Tails said. Metal Tails stopped his chuckle. He looked around, whirring. His eyes locked onto the very tree Blaze and Tails were hiding behind.

_"__Knuckles… you know what to do," _Metal Tails said. Metal Knuckles nodded, and slammed the ground. Blaze's eyes widened, and she activated the power of the Sol Emeralds. Tails and Blaze barely made it out of there, but Metal Tails learned a valuable piece of information. He activated his helicopter tails, and headed back to his base.

* * *

_"__Yo, Metal Tails… what's that look on your face for?" _Metal Sonic asked.

_"__Please control the statements of your Organic portion, Sonic. As for your question, you have been replaced," _Metal Tails replied. Metal Sonic stepped back, hurt.

_"__Tails! After my loyal servitude to the big Egg since before you were even blueprinted, you'll just abandon me for… wait, what? And you kinda gave me the Organic upgrade: even you don't have that," _Metal Sonic let out. Metal Tails glared at him.

_"__Never mention my lack of Organics. I will not rest until I am a true cyborg, and that meddlesome twin-tail is nothing more than a memory. Metal Sonic, there is no question of your loyalty. I trust you more than 'the big Egg' as you put it. But I sensed that twin-tail when I constructed my Metal Knuckles, and he was whisked away by something that was, and yet wasn't, the Chaos Emeralds," _Metal Tails explained. Metal Sonic put some thought into it.

_"__You mean… You lost me…" _Metal Sonic said.

_"__It was the power of the Sol Emeralds. That twin-tail has recruited the power of Blaze the Cat. My new right hand servant will be Metal Blaze," _Metal Tails told Metal Sonic, walking up to a wall fixture, and pulling off a piece. Metal Tails' hands worked on the piece, and a purple figure started to materialise.

_"__Whoa… I can see how I got replaced by you…" _Metal Sonic said in awe. Metal Tails was making a robot out of one piece of scrap metal.

_"__Metal Blaze… awaken!" _Metal Tails said. The purple Metallic cat's red eyes shone, and she was activated.

_"__I am Metal Blaze, construct of Metal Tails. I live to serve Metal Tails. He is my Master. What is his bidding?" _she rattled off, holding up one hand. The temperature in the room rose several degrees, stopping just short of melting the softest metal there. Metal Tails smiled: she could get hotter.

_"__Sonic and Knuckles are out of the picture. I want you to find Sonic's friends, and make sure they don't manage to bring help to my counterpart," _Metal Tails asked. Metal Blaze turned the light behind one eye off and on quickly, in a shallow parody of an Organic wink.

_"__Consider it done yesterday," _Metal Blaze said, turning on her heel and leaving the room. Metal Tails turned to his computer, and typed away. Several renders of Sonic's friends began to show up, and Metal Tails scrolled through them. He didn't need a massive army. But he could use a few more Metallics.

_"__So, whatcha up to, boss?" _Metal Sonic asked.

_"__Metal Blaze will be the only Metallic to undermine you. But there will be more Metallics to join our army. I just need to decide which of the Organics to replicate. I don't want a massive army… for now…" _Metal Tails explained.

_"__I'll go out and try to find Organics trying to fight. Apart from Tails and Blaze: we'll save them for later," _Metal Sonic said, flying from the room at light speed. Metal Tails very briefly questioned whether the Organic upgrade was really necessary, before turning back to deciding who his Metallic army would consist of.

* * *

Blaze and Tails appeared within the centre of the room. Blaze looked at the Sol Emeralds with concern.

"What is it?" Tails nervously asked.

"I should've been more careful with these. Metal Tails undoubtedly knows of my involvement…" Blaze said. She seemed worried.

"No matter, Blaze. He would've figured it out anyway. But for now, we have to figure out how to go after the Metals. If Metal Sonic and Metal Tails weren't enough, now there's a Metal Knuckles as well. And he built that astonishingly fast: he could have an entire army of Metals created in no time!" Tails said.

Blaze stepped back in shock. She had previously assumed that Metal Knuckles was simply reorganised from the Buzz Bomber, not a completely distinct robot.

"How much material does he need to generate a metal?" Blaze asked.

"I don't know, but I assume he needs an A.I. core and all the parts that come with a whole 'creating a self-sufficient robot' deal… but Buzz Bombers, and Badniks in general, are ridiculously common. If he can make a Metal Knuckles out of one, it stands to reason he can make a Metal… anything," Tails pointed out. Blaze nodded slowly. It took a few seconds for the full impact of his words to sink in.

"We have to stop whatever it is he is doing!" Blaze cried out.

"Agreed. First step, find out what will give him power, and remove his access to it!" Tails said, holding out one hand, Blaze accepted it, and shook it.

"But before that…" Blaze said apprehensively. Tails nodded, knowing what she was about to ask.

"We need to make sure Amy is safe. Metal Tails is sure to go after her. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a robotic to hack to our cause, at any rate," he said. That was not Blaze's plan, but it was close enough to, and had similar enough goals.

**Proof that I have not entirely given this story up. Expect updates to be this barren for a while. When was the last time my mind even drifted this way?**


	3. Chaotic Emeralds

Blaze and Tails appeared back in Sonic's dimension, and ran to see Cream.

"Another Blaze? What?" Cream asked, looking over her.

"What other Blaze?" Blaze herself asked. Tails looked around her to see any commotion. Amy burst from behind a few trees, her Piko Piko Hammer landing beside Tails. The other Blaze Cream mentioned came from the trees, grabbed Amy, and caused her to vanish.

_*Hmph. That was easy. Pathetically so…* _the other Blaze said. She turned to Cream. Cream quivered, and Blaze teleported away with her. Tails turned to the false Blaze, and realised what it was.

"So he's developed a Metal Blaze unit…" Tails said. "Then it's time to dismantle you!

* * *

_METAL BLAZE_

Metal Blaze started the fight with a splatter of embers. Tails dodged each and every one, realising with a start that he hadn't grabbed any Rings. He grabbed the Piko Piko Hammer, and threw it at Metal Blaze. He used a Spin Dash underneath Metal Blaze, and jumped up, grabbing the hammer. Metal Blaze spun into a fiery tornado, and charged at Tails. Tails whacked the tornado with the hammer, lightly dodging the blaze.

_*Tails has challenge… must judge him carefully,* _Metal Blaze said. She soared away, disappearing into the sky. Blaze teleported in, grabbed Tails, and went back to the Sol Dimension.

* * *

"That ran close…" Blaze said. She looked between Tails and Cream.

"How many do you think he has?" Blaze asked. Tails pulled out his Miles Electric, and reconfigured it to provide some GPS input. Static sounded, and Tails promptly undid his alterations.

"I can't tell. But it would be a safe guess to say 'a lot'," Tails said. Blaze sighed.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that… how hard do you think it would be to fight any one of the Metallics?" Blaze asked.

"I would recommend against conflict. I think I only got away from Metal Blaze by fluke," Tails said. He started pacing, trying to figure out a solution to the problem at hand.

"Why not use Super Tails and Super Blaze? That could clear things up… or make things easier, at least," Cream said.

"First, it's Burning Blaze. Second, I need the Super Emeralds for Super Tails, and I don't know for certain if the Sol Emeralds are that powerful," Tails said. Blaze shook her head.

"I have heard no tales of the Sol Emeralds becoming stronger, and if you can't use the Chaos Emeralds, then I doubt the Sol Emeralds will be of use to you," Blaze said.

"But are we going to get the Super Emeralds, then?" Cream asked again. Tails opened his mouth to veto that suggestion, before coming up with no reason.

"Then it's settled. Step one, find the Chaos Emeralds. Step two, power them up into the Super Emeralds. Step three, defeat Metal Tails!" Blaze said. Tails immediately got to work on reconfiguring the Miles Electric to find the Chaos Emeralds.

* * *

Tails appeared in a dilapidated old factory. What purpose the factory served was lost to time, if it had prior been obvious. A thin layer of water lined the floor. Tails glided through this old, abandoned factory, wondering why a Chaos Emerald would choose here, of all places, to take rest.

_"__Do you know where you are?" _Blaze asked.

"No… it's an old factory. I know that much. I'm looking for something to help me… ah, there it is!" Tails said. He glided over to an old control room, and looked around. Some of the monitors and keyboards had become worn with disuse and water damage, but there were a few still functioning. He booted up one of them, and waited patiently for the computer to load.

"The technology here looks really old…" Tails remarked. A tell-tale ding indicated that the computer had powered on. An icon told him that he was in the Scrap Brain Zone, a title with little meaning to Tails, and a prompt for a password. Tails entered Eggman's usual password, Eggman. Error. He tried Eggman's old name, Robotnik. Still a failure. Tails drummed the keyboard with concern. Most of Eggman's computers were trapped if three log-in attempts failed. He tried Kintobor, and found it to work.

"Eggman, even back then, your passwords were always incredibly stupid," Tails said. He began typing away at the computer, attempting to glean anything about the Chaos Emerald. However, he merely gleaned that the computers powering the lab were too old for Tails's tricks, and desisted. He could, however, look at the functioning levels and types of the traps. The fact they were set to 'Kill on sight' told Tails that it was relatively safe: if this was the traps at their most dangerous, he'd have no problems.

_"__Find anything?" _Blaze asked.

"Not really. But I should be undisturbed," Tails said.

_"__Blaze? What's that over by the Chaos Emerald?" _Cream asked.

_"__Oh no… Tails! Take tail!"_ Blaze said. Tails looked down at his own Miles Electric, and saw it as well.

"This could be bad…" Tails said.

* * *

Tails rushed to the location of the Chaos Emerald, noting that some kind of explosion had diminished the amount of walls to avoid. However, at the end of the Scrap Brain Zone, sitting on a pedestal, was the blue Chaos Emerald he had come for. And right by its side was a massive robot. It turned around.

_*Big see cute little fox! Big give big hug!* _Metal Big said.

_METAL BIG_

Metal Big jumped into the sky, and gave a body slam into the ground. The massive shockwaves did not faze Tails in the slightest, but did do a good job of doing a number on the floor. Tails spun like a top, and performed a Spin Dash into Metal Big. A few metal plates had fallen from him, only to be swiftly replaced.

_*That did not hurt Big!* _Metal Big said.

"Darn it… Blaze, he regenerates," Tails said.

_"__Deal plenty of damage, and try not to cool down after a blow! Combo him!" _Blaze said. Metal Big flopped around, and performed another belly flop attack. This sunk the ground further, causing Metal Big to become stuck. Tails jumped up. One, two, three blows before he was forced off by inertia, and Metal Big could recover his footing. One layer of plates had already replenished. Tails performed another combo, but Big still had plenty of plates to catch up with.

"This is hopeless… but maybe…" Tails said. He dived forward and, instead of dealing a hit, he shoved one of his wrenches into one of the holes. The metal plating tried to cover it, only to come to a halt at the sight. Tails performed some more attacks, and the metal plating began to fall from around the wrench. Tails quickly whipped out the Piko Piko Hammer, and mashed a few inside bolts.

_*That really hurt… Bad fox! Bad, bad fox! Big go home to cry!* _Metal Big said. He ran from the room, hiding how the Metallics would return home. He left behind the Chaos Emerald.

"You got a Chaos Emerald!" Tails said, grabbing it from its perch.

_"__Um, no, you did," _Blaze said.

"Figure of speech. But Organics one, Metallics zero," Tails said. "Unless they already got some of the other Emeralds."

_"__Yeah, that would be bad. Transfer and get going!" _Blaze said. The Chaos Emerald in his hands vanished, and he himself felt himself go to the next level.

* * *

Tails landed at the base of a large tower. He looked up, and saw the purple Chaos Emerald at the top of it. He rushed up it, only to quickly be outstripped and pulled along by someone else.

"Come along, fox! We need to get to the Chaotix!" the voice said, dragging Tails along by a tether-ring. He did a spin up the nearest wall, performing a half-loop to the next level.

"Who are you?" Tails asked, regaining his footing and following the new figure, careful to stow away the Miles Electric.

"The name's Mighty, little fox. Mighty the Armadillo. And I'm gonna get back the Chaotix from Robotnik!" Mighty said. Tails found himself being outpaced by the newcomer, and wound up flying instead. Due to the vertical nature of the tower, Tails could start keeping pace with Mighty.

"Robotnik? He's still causing trouble?" Tails asked.

"'Course he is! He took the Chaotix, and converted them into machines to serve him. But he overlooked me, Mighty! Last seen in '95, and I'm coming at ya!" Mighty said. He flipped around a goal post, and started wall jumping the tower. Even Tails flight struggled to keep pace.

"I don't think that's Robotnik. Sounds more like the Metal Tails," Tails said.

"Robotnik, Metal Tails, I don't care! The Chaotix are robotic monsters, and I'm going to get them fixed!" Mighty said.

* * *

Tails and Mighty made it to the top of the tower, where the purple Chaos Emerald was lying in wait.

"That's what I came here for!" Tails said. He ran forward, but Mighty held him back with the tether-ring. Metal Espio revealed his camouflaged form, and Metal Vector and Metal Charmy appeared at his sides.

_*Enemy detected! Time for maximum stinging!* _Metal Charmy said.

_*You will be no match for my confounding and mysterious ninja moves,* _Metal Espio added.

_*Nor my jaws! It's crunch time! Everyone attack at once!* _Metal Vector finished.

"What have they done to you… no matter. I will… I will save you, Chaotix!" Mighty said.

_METAL CHAOTIX_

Metal Charmy's sting, Metal Espio's shuriken and Metal Vector's breath blast were launched almost immediately, and Tails and Mighty jumped to either side of the radius. The tether-ring began to reach its limit, and snapped the two back together. Tails dropped the ring, and flew up to meet Metal Charmy. Metal Charmy charged at Tails, and missed him. His stinger wedged into a wall, and Tails struck him three times. Metal Charmy gave off a small explosion, and hit the ground.

"Good going, fox! Now how do we get them out of the robotics?" Mighty asked.

"…You know, I never tried," Tails said. "But less chat, more combat!"

Mighty ran up to Metal Vector, and scooped him up. He threw Metal Vector like a wheel towards Metal Espio. Metal Espio easily sidestepped Metal Vector's barrel roll, and he hit the wall behind Metal Espio. Tails flew down, and used a three hit combo to finish Metal Vector.

_*Only one left… you will never predict my confusing and powerful attacks!* _Metal Espio said. He spun around, summoned a shuriken, and hurled it towards the area between Tails and Mighty. Metal Espio gasped in surprise: he had missed!

"Now how did you think you would hit either of us?" Mighty asked.

_*I don't understand… I am the perfect assassin!* _Metal Espio said.

"I think two of us fried his circuits… they're powerful robots… but they're still robots!" Tails remarked.

_"__Of course! Let's hope Metal Tails doesn't twig!" _Blaze said. Mighty raised an eyebrow, but Tails shook his head. Metal Espio activated his cloaking device, and walked about invisibly.

"Now what?" Mighty asked. Tails spotted the Chaos Emerald, and scanned it with the Miles Electric. It vanished. No matter what happened, he had raised the score in the Organic's favour.

"No, seriously, what's the plan?" Mighty asked. Tails did a Spin Dash, and cycled around the room. He struck Metal Espio, flickering his cloak. Mighty used his own Spin Dash, striking Metal Espio. Tails used a quick jump, finishing off Metal Espio, and the Metal Chaotix.

_*Excellent work, twin-tail…* _a metallic voiced sound said.

"Metal Tails!" Tails said.

"I recognise that sound… so it wasn't Robotnik!" Mighty added.

_*Yes, twin-tail… Well done for defeating the first of my robot clan! I hope you found them quite friendly…* _Metal Tails said.

"I hate you," Tails said. He heard a faint slapping noise, as Blaze turned her nose up at Tails unremarkable statement.

_*Reasonable. After all, I suppose the blueprints for my army are the units you call friend. So… you're after the Emeralds, too?* _Metal Tails said.

"You want them, fiend? For what purpose could that be?" Tails asked.

_*Not telling you. My program informs me you are smart. What possessed you to think I'd tell you?* _Metal Tails asked. _*Anyway, I suppose, while I have you within my grasp, I will be- wait, what?* _Tails began revolving, and disappeared into the next level.

_*…I hate you so much right now, twin-tail. But I guess I've still got another robot here…*_

* * *

Tails appeared in a sprawling theme park. The icon of the moustachioed egg-head plastered all about the place meant only one thing: he was in Eggmanland.

"Did we have to leave Mighty behind?" Tails asked.

_"__We've got to get the Super Emeralds first and foremost. Even if you could undo roboticisation, Metal Tails would just redo it. And I think we both know what will happen if you get caught and infused with a Metal," _Blaze said.

Tails shook himself from his reverie, and pressed on through the level. A large amount of laser walls and foes tried to stop him, but he simply boosted on through. He crossed about slopes and tunnels, and eventually came up on some kind of hourglass. He whacked it with his tail, and turned it over to signify night. He felt his body begin to contort, as his claws grew longer, his jaw became sharper, and he became all around more feral. The Piko Piko Hammer came out, and changed shape to become much spikier.

_"__I detect a lot of negative energy coming from your location. What is occurring?" _Blaze asked.

"I… I'm the Werefox!" Tails roared. His tails began to stretch out, and he latched on to a higher ledge. A small army of robots assailed his position, to be met by the Piko Piko Hammer. After creating a large scrap metal pile out of the beasts, he stepped forth intimidatingly. The field underfoot cracked, and disappeared underneath. Tails immediately felt his negative energy seep out.

* * *

_*Now, now, Tails. All patrons in the park who turn into vicious monsters will be put down. Didn't you read the sign?* _a robotic voice asked. Tails looked around the new room he was in, to see a massive robot appear. One arm was a line of massive cylinders, and the other was a drill. This was the Egg Dragoon.

"Eggman! Why unleash Metal Tails?" Tails asked. A symbol appeared on the chest of the Egg Dragoon- the Eggman symbol. It started to open and close its mouth.

_*Why else? To destroy Sonic once and for all, and take over the world! Do I ever do different?* _the Egg Dragoon said. Tails slowly pieced together what had happened.

"…Dr Eggman? Metal Tails turned you, too?" Tails asked.

_*It's Robotnik Eggman now, you foolish fox!* _the Egg Dragoon, or Eggman, said.

"…Robotnik Eggman? That just sounds… really weird," Tails said.

_*You don't get it? Robotnik, robot… ah, forget it! A fool like you should be lining Master Tails's circuits, not making a fool of yourself on Eggman property!* _Metal Eggman said. He opened his top, and revealed the red Chaos Emerald. Tails gasped, and flew up to retrieve it. Metal Eggman's drill sent him to the ground, and the chase began.

_METAL EGGMAN DRAGOON_

The Eggman Dragoon glided away from Tails steadily, preparing its fire. Tails glided on after it, waiting for an opening. The Eggman Dragoon appeared beside Tails, and began shooting bolts of ice. Tails sidestepped them easily. The Eggman Dragoon created two barriers, and pinned Tails between them. He began shooting bolts of ice down, which Tails wall jumped between, before spinning about and whacking at the shield around the Chaos Emerald with the Piko Piko Hammer. He scored a direct hit, and the Eggman Dragoon spiralled back. Taking his chance, Tails hit the grind rails. He scooted along, and hit a red ring, soaring through the sky, and hitting the Chaos Emerald again.

_*How dare you… Against the Ultra-Hyper Prototype III! Out of my sight!* _Metal Eggman said. He shot behind a pink wall, disappearing. Tails spotted an hourglass, and struck it, converting to the Werefox. Tails dived on past the pink wall as well, to find himself falling. He focused, and let his tails slow his descent so that he'd land on the falling land softly. The Eggman Dragoon hovered beside this land.

_*I've got you now, werefox!* _Metal Eggman said.

"Not on my watch!" Tails the Werefox said back. He leaped at the Eggman Dragoon, and clung to his glowing green weak spot. The Eggman Dragoon fired its drill, and Tails dodged neatly to one side. The drill lodged into the glowing green weak point, and pierced its way inside. Tails glided up, and smashed two holes in the cockpit with his tails. He pried the red Chaos Emerald from its nest, and threw it onto the falling piece of ground. The Eggman Dragoon began to spiral down and down further.

"That was your power source, Metal Eggman? Don't put your eggs all in one basket!" Tails said. He retrieved the red Chaos Emerald, and the two teleported to their respective destinations.

* * *

The next place Tails landed, like the Scrap Brain Zone before it, was unknown to him. It was a factory-like place, but Tails could not identify where, or what it was making, or even what adventure of Sonic's this place was.

"Where am I?" Tails asked into his Miles Electric.

_"__Nowhere near us, that's for sure. Your readings are fuzzy *krstch* and our connection isn't 100%," _Blaze said.

"But I calibrated it so that our connection would be perfect anywhere on either Earth or Mobius. And you're even in a different dimension!" Tails said. He put away the Miles Electric, and took his first steps into this place. Signposts told him he was in the future, but he wasn't entirely sure he could put stock in that statement.

_*Hey, you!* _a familiar voice said. One of the Metallics approached him, its pink hue making it instantly recognisable.

"Amy? Aren't I supposed to find you, not the other way around?" Tails asked.

_"__Amy? Please be careful, Mr Tails!" _Cream said into the Miles Electric.

_*Yeah, I've got the Chaos Emerald you want right here,* _Metal Amy said, holding up her equivalent to the Piko Piko Hammer, and opening it, revealing a turquoise glow.

"Then why haven't you scurried back to Metal Tails, hm?" Tails asked.

_*You have something I want. This Piko Piko Hammer substitute is quite effective, and the Chaos Emerald boosts its power quite significantly… but it's not mine. I want _my _Piko Piko Hammer back,* _Metal Amy said.

"That isn't going to happen!" Tails said.

_METAL AMY_

Metal Amy ran towards Tails much faster than Tails anticipated. Although he was charging a Spin Dash, he quickly switched to blocking Metal Amy's swing with his own Piko Piko Hammer. He stepped back, and Amy stepped forward. She swung her Piko Piko Hammer, which Tails jumped over, and landed beside Metal Amy. Metal Amy stepped back, to try and put Tails inside the Piko Piko Hammer's reach. Tails realised his advantage, and pressed it. He curled into a ball, and shot into Amy directly inside her range shadow, causing her to lose her grip on the hammer. It fell from her grasp, and Tails scooped it up. He opened it, and flung the Chaos Emerald out of the tip. It disappeared, and he knew Blaze collected it.

_*OK, now that was just mean!* _Metal Amy said, as Tails threw her back the fake Piko Piko Hammer.

"Hey… that's what I'm here for!" Tails said, as he activated the sequence for escaping to the next level.

_*…How rude…* _Metal Amy said in a melancholy fashion.

* * *

Tails next stop landed him inside a very familiar vehicle. He looked around, and began to recognise his location.

_"__Did you *krstch* make it out OK?" _Blaze asked.

"All right! I'm in the fifth area now. It looks like it's still in space, though," Tails said. He looked at the controls of his old Cyclone, trying to familiarise himself with them. The Cyclone did a sequence of odd things that, to an observer, would make it look like the Cyclone was glitching, before Tails finally found the proper buttons. He pressed on, feeling the Cyclone regain the role of an extension of Tails's body.

"OK!" Tails said, starting to walk about the Eternal Engine. He decided to hover through the wreckage of the last time he was here, and found only token resistance. He reached the power generator of the Space Colony ARK, and spotted the green Chaos Emerald. A dark blur shot like a line, wiping the Chaos Emerald from its resting spot.

"Hey!" Tails cried out. He switched his Cyclone to Tornado-III mode, and sped up after the blur. His machine was designed to keep pace with Sonic. Anything with that speed should be no problem.

* * *

Tails followed the black blur through space, feeling grateful the green blur of the Chaos Emerald was available to track. He had to create a protective dome for himself, but that was simple.

_*Unbelievable…* _the black blur said. He turned about, and levelled the Chaos Emerald. With a wide blast, Tails felt himself slow down.

_*To think I had a tail… I have let my guard slip. But don't think I'm like Metal Tails's other creations… I will not allow you to whisk the Chaos Emerald from my grasp with nothing more than a battle. Be seeing you,* _the Metallic form of Shadow said. He put the Chaos Emerald into his chest, and dived back to Earth. Tails felt himself able to speed up.

"Blaze! Cut him off! It's Metal Shadow!" Tails said.

_"__I'm on my *krstch* way!" _Blaze said.

* * *

Metal Shadow glided down the beam, glad he had let his little twin-tail slip. He heard a few footsteps, and looked up. He saw a tremendously hot figure with his heat sensors, and groaned. If he knew his foes, Blaze would be a harder person to give the slip than Tails was. He resigned himself to a fight if need be, but he was going to give Plan A his best shot. He shot from the beam, and Blaze collided with him. They both landed on a road.

_METAL SHADOW_

Blaze began her charge, watching Metal Shadow skate along beside her. Metal Shadow began absorbing Rings, charging for an attack. Blaze started colliding with Metal Shadow, causing the Ring magnet to become disrupted. Blaze spun, and drew the rings to her. Metal Shadow groaned, and increased his speed. Blaze started blazing forth, trying to catch up. Fire began to form under her feet, and Blaze grinned. She scooped up an orb of fire, and threw it at Metal Shadow. Two more soon followed, and Metal Shadow was thrown head over heels. He landed on his feet, and pulled out the Chaos Emerald. He focused, and threw a spear made of light. Blaze grabbed it in one hand, and threw it right back. Blaze charged forward, and grabbed the Chaos Emerald.

"Blaze Power Up!" she said, feeling a new energy surge through her body. She ran forth, and began creating small little explosions. Metal Shadow started to glitch a little, before falling to his knees, defeated. Blaze returned to her own dimension, taking the Chaos Emerald with her.

* * *

Tails was teleported from the Cyclone almost as soon as it had landed. He began to look around, to identify his location.

_"__Are you all right? I got the fifth Emerald," _Blaze said. Tails gulped.

_"__Tails?" _Blaze asked again.

"This looks like Soleanna's laboratory," Tails said. He looked about. Angry red lizards that were overlooking him, floating silver orbs… this was the Aquatic Base of Soleanna, all right.

_"__And? What's so bad about Soleanna?" _Blaze asked.

"The place was swarming with little bugs in the very fabric of reality itself. Although, whenever Sonic, Shadow or Silver mention it, they almost never mention that aspect," Tails said.

_"__Oh, you've been there before. To be honest, I've never even heard of Soleanna… keep an eye out for those seams in reality!" _Blaze said. Tails nodded, and began flying. One saving grace was that Tails never felt tired in Soleanna. A laser grid deactivated as Tails made his approach, and he began to wonder if any of the little bugs that plagued this land would be malicious this time.

* * *

_*It's no use!* _a squeaky metal voice shouted, stopping Tails in his tracks. He had made it into this room with only one visit to the netherworld that was the exterior of this lab, but that was only brief, with one tail firmly planted inside where he was supposed to be. He was willing to call that a success.

_*Take this!* _Metal Silver finished, blasting Tails backwards. Tails hurriedly scooped up his rings, and stood his ground.

_METAL SILVER_

Silver pulled back the gloves on his hands, and focused. A few crates in the room were levitated, and the green shapes flew at Tails. Tails kicked one, two, three of them, before eventually making it up to hit Silver. His strike landed, and Metal Silver fell to the ground. He performed a breakfall, and started hovering. Tails followed suit, and Metal Silver gave an annoyed noise.

_*You little fox!* _Metal Silver cried out. He folded his arms, and created blades of compressed air. The green scythes charged at Tails, which Tails nimbly dodged. Metal Silver groaned, and focused again. A compressed air blade appeared directly behind Tails, and came forward. Tails was knocked to the ground, but the blade itself continued and hit Metal Silver.

_*Give up!* _Metal Silver said, descending portions of the roof on Tails. Tails rolled out of the way, and uncertainly resumed his feet. He looked up, and noticed the netherworld outside of the Aquatic Base was now in view.

"Follow me, Silver!" Tails said, floating up. Metal Silver hovered up faster than Tails, beating him to the world's exterior. He let out an anguished roar, and disappeared.

"Bad idea to enter that place…" Tails said. He looked around. The yellow Chaos Emerald was lying in wait, presumably left so that Metal Silver could ambush Tails. That plan went well for Metal Tails. It disappeared into the Sol Dimension, and Tails moved on to the final level.

* * *

Tails found himself flung to a base in a dark and stormy cloud. What he found more interesting was the fact that both Blaze and Cream had followed him.

"What are you two doing here?" Tails asked.

"I have no idea, Tails…" Blaze said.

"Where are we, Mr Tails?" Cream asked. Tails looked around thoughtfully.

"I think we're in the Final Fortress, Eggman's final domain in our… wait… no, this was Metal Sonic's final domain!" Tails said.

"Then what are we waiting for? I'll go forth!" Blaze said. She began running forward, with Tails and Cream rushing after her. She pulled the three into a Triangle Dive, and they flew up a fan to the next level. A trio of large Eggman's Robots with hammers were waiting for them.

"My turn," Cream said, pulling Tails and Blaze into a stack. She fired the pair of them at the robots, knocking aside their helmets.

"I'll go forth!" Blaze said, pulling Tails and Cream into fists, and firing them at the robots until they exploded. A small spike appeared from the ground, and became a large pole.

"Got it!" Tails said. He whipped up a tornado, and the three whirled around the pole, rocketing upwards until they reached the top. Tails flung them from the pole, and they started grinding along a beam of energy. They landed in front of a door, and saw a few more hammer robots, as well as some flying ones, guarding a door.

"We don't have time for this!" Blaze said. She curled her hands into flames, and pointed them to either side. Tails and Cream scooped up some of these flames themselves, and threw them upwards, to create a makeshift Team Blast. The robots crashed and burned, and Tails, Blaze and Cream were able to reach a massive button. The three stepped on it, and were launched skyward by a massive explosion.

"That was dangerous, but really cool," Cream said.

"A self-destruct switch! How convienient!" Blaze said.

"Hm. Wonder _why_ it self-destructed!" Tails said. The three landed on a series of grind rails, and grinded further into the base.

"Yellow laser coming!" Blaze cried out. Tails hurriedly dodged the blast, and they reached the springs. They launched into the sky, and landed on another set of grind rails.

"Oh look, more laser cannons, how original," Blaze said nonchalantly.

"One, two, three, four laser cannons! We'd better watch out!" Cream counted.

"I see another self-destruct switch!" Tails said. He increased his speed, hurriedly weaving through the laser cannons. Blaze and Cream moved forward, dodging the laser cannons, before spotting a massive one charging a huge beam.

"Hang on, Miss Blaze!" Cream said, grabbing her hands, and pulling her up. The large laser cannon twisted slightly, and exploded, leaving behind a platform. Cream quickly flew over to it, to see Tails panting heavily.

"We did it, team!" Blaze said, smiling slightly at her two partners.

_*Yeah, well done, Tails!* _a cocky metal voice called out.

"Oh, no…" Tails said.

* * *

_*Welcome to the Final Fortress, Tails. And you two, Blaze and… uh… I'll get back to you on your name, rabbit. It's so nice of you to come on such short notice…* _Metal Sonic said.

"Sonic, you're not one of Metal Tails's minions! Snap out of it!" Tails said.

"Please don't fight us, Mr Sonic!" Cream said.

_*Aw, would you look at that? You think you're going to buy over the original Sonic by invoking that worthless copy! Besides… do you want this?* _Metal Sonic asked, holding up the white Chaos Emerald.

"Blaze, grab it!" Tails said. Blaze charged forward like wildfire, and Metal Sonic dodged to one side at the speed of light.

_*Not going to work, cat! If you want the Chaos Emerald that badly, you're going to have to defeat me!" _Metal Sonic said.

"We can do that easily. You with me, guys?" Blaze asked.

"I will help you, Blaze!" Cream said. Tails was less comfortable.

"Tails, come on. You've fought the Metals of your other friends already. What's stopping you taking on this one?" Blaze asked.

"I… might have killed Silver," Tails said. "I'm not going to kill Sonic!"

"Tails, it looks like we don't have a choice! We've got to defeat Metal Sonic!" Blaze said. Metal Sonic started spinning on the spot, and dived at Blaze. Blaze jumped over him, and landed atop him, sending him sprawling.

_*Well, if that didn't work…* _Metal Sonic said. He zoomed towards a portion of the Final Fortress, and pulled out huge chunks of metal. He started assembling them around his body, turning into the Metal Overlord.

"Remember what I said about our lack of choice? We have even less now!" Blaze said.

"…You're right… I will defeat you, S- Metal Sonic!" Tails said. Blaze summoned the Sol Emeralds to her side, and triggered her Burning Blaze form. The power of the Sol Emeralds extended out, and created powerful and protective barriers for Tails and Cream.

_*You think you can stop me? A fox, a cat, and a rabbit?* _Metal Overlord asked.

_Yes, I think that we can. We will show you what we're made of! _Burning Blaze said. She charged at Metal Sonic, with Tails and Cream not too far behind. Metal Overlord cleaved down on them, an attack doomed to failure. He shot ice blasts from his chest, an attack Tails pierced easily.

_"__Hold on, Blaze! I'll go get us Rings!" _Cream said, diving down into the Final Fortress. Burning Blaze felt some Ring energy seep into her. She fired heavy fireballs at Metal Overlord, torching at least one joint, but not dealing sufficient damage for defeat.

_*Is that all you've got, Blaze? I was expecting more out of you, you infernal cat!* _Metal Overlord said.

_Sonic? If you're in there, this is for what you've done for me! _Burning Blaze said. Cream shot up, and the three heroes formed a triangle. They launched to the Metal Overlord, diving in and out of his joints. Tails nabbed the Chaos Emerald, and Metal Overlord slowed his functions. Burning Blaze spun around, and sent the trio to the Sol Dimension.


	4. Organic Spirit

"At last… we have all of the Chaos Emeralds…" Tails panted.

"Good thing, too. The Metal Tails was after them, too. Wouldn't want him to get his hands on the things, would we?" Blaze added. "Now how do we power them up?"

"Hidden Palace Zone, on Angel Island," Tails said almost immediately. He slowed down his movements, coming to a sudden realisation.

"What? What's wrong with that?" Blaze asked.

"Knuckles is supposed to watch over the Master Emerald! But he's Metal now…" Tails said.

"Don't tell me you've gone soft on the Metal Units. Remember, Tails… they're the enemy! We've no choice but to take them down!" Blaze said.

"It's not that… Metal Knuckles could easily get Metal Tails the Master Emerald. Possibly," Tails said. Blaze grabbed Tails' wrist, and the pair teleported to Angel Island.

* * *

Tails flew through Angel Island, Blaze holding on to his arms. Fatigue was trying its hardest to edge into him, but his own sheer determination allowed him to ignore this inconvenient fact. Within a few minutes, the pair had reached the Master Emerald, to see two shapes in a duel.

"That's right! I forgot!" Tails said, almost jubilant. Metal Knuckles was facing off against Organic Knuckles. Metal Tails had never actually made Metal Knuckles one of the combined forms who had hunted the Chaos Emeralds. That relief was short lived, however, as that fact would change without his intervention. Tails quickly curled into his spinball form, and dashed into Metal Knuckle's back. Metal Knuckles was sent reeling, and Knuckles could follow the blow with his own punch, knocking Metal Knuckles off the nearest cliff.

"Not half bad, Tails. Though I did have that fight in the bag," Knuckles remarked.

"Knuckles, Metal Tails has gone rogue, and his army includes just about everyone we know. I've seen Big, the Chaotix, Eggman, Amy, Shadow, Silver, Sonic… and I suspect Mighty as well," Tails said. Knuckles's eyes widened in horror.

"Well, then, we've got to do something!" Knuckles said.

"Exactly. That's why we're here. Which way to the Hidden Palace?" Blaze asked.

"We have the Chaos Emeralds… we just need to power them up to the Super Emeralds," Tails added, in response to Knuckles's raised eyebrow.

"Well… if you want the Super Emeralds, I'd suggest taking a bit of a shortcut," Knuckles said. He went to the Master Emerald, and held it up. A giant ring appeared as if from nowhere.

"Get in there. And be quick about it," Knuckles said. Tails bowed in thanks, and the pair of Tails and Blaze dived in the giant ring, which vanished back into nowhere as they passed through.

* * *

Tails and Blaze appeared in the Hidden Palace Zone. Ignoring the long-since passed prophecy regarding the Master Emerald, the pair bolted straight towards a bizarre contraption, and threw the Chaos Emeralds into their respective locations. They glittered and shone, and became the Super Emeralds.

"That's it?" Blaze asked.

"It was a lot harder last time I did this. Angel Island probably knows that we don't have time for that. Or we only needed to do it the hard way once. One or the other," Tails said. He jumped up, and scooped up all seven Super Emeralds.

"But however it happened, we have the Super Emeralds. Defeating Metal Tails is starting to look feasible," Tails said. Blaze teleported the two from one place to another.

* * *

Tails, Blaze, and Cream teleported to land in front of the base Metal Tails had constructed for himself. The place looked massive, but Metal Tails simply drifted down to land in front of the trio.

_*Here so soon?* _Metal Tails asked.

"You bet we are! And we're going to kick some tail!" Blaze said.

_*Tut, tut… we can't have that, now can we?* _Metal Tails asked. He snapped his fingers, and a trio of new Metallics arrived. Metal Mighty, Metal Rouge, and Metal Knuckles.

"My goddess… we leave you be for five minutes and you turn to metal?" Blaze asked Metal Knuckles.

_*You didn't defeat Metal Knuckles earlier. You just broke a stalemate,* _Metal Knuckles said.

_*We're on a bit of a treasure hunt, Organic Tails. We're looking for seven jewels called the Super Emeralds,* _Metal Rouge said.

"Well, you're not getting them!" Tails said, rising from the ground. The seven Super Emeralds started spinning around him, as he paused.

"Let me think… oh, right," Tails said, before being zapped by Metal Tails' cannon. Metal Knuckles and Metal Rouge ran forward, and scooped up the Super Emeralds, before tossing them to Metal Tails.

_*Perfect! I now have both the Super Emeralds and the Master Emerald in my possession! World domination is merely a hop, skip and a jump away!* _Metal Tails said, returning to deep within the base. Tails ran forward, but was stopped by Metal Mighty.

_*Step no further. Metal Tails needs us to stop you getting in his way…* _Metal Mighty said.

"We'll defeat you! Just as we've done to all your friends!" Blaze called out.

* * *

_TEAM TREASURE_

Tails dived forth, and created a gust of wind. The robots were launched into the air, to be grabbed by Metal Rouge. Metal Rouge fired Metal Mighty at Cream, knocking her to the ground.

"No!" Blaze cried out. She scooped up Tails, and fired him at Metal Mighty. Metal Mighty rolled into a ball, and rolled away, out of the fight. Tails created another Tornado, and launched both Metal Rouge and Metal Knuckles into the sky.

"We've got to hurry!" Blaze said, scooping up Cream. Tails pulled out his Miles Electric, and flew forward, Blaze following behind with Cream. Tails used the ability to scan for the Emeralds to find Metal Tails.

* * *

The group arrived in an overly large room. On the other side, Metal Tails was tinkering with a mech, the Super Emeralds lying at his feet.

_*Hold it!* _a female robot voice said. Landing in between Tails and Metal Tails was Metal Blaze. Blaze stepped forward, glaring at her counterpart.

"We've got to defeat Metal Tails! Step aside!" Tails pleaded.

"Not going to happen. She hasn't got a shred of Organic within her. That, of course, means I'll be dismantling this one!" Blaze said. Metal Blaze let out a hiss. Parts of her began to automatically rewire themselves. Her purple plating turned red, and fire began flowing out of her body.

"Hm… you think it's going to be that simple?" Blaze asked. She spun around, and allowed the Sol Emeralds to power her up to Burning Blaze.

_Let's fight now!_ Blaze said. Metal Blaze raised her hands, and a circular arena of flame appeared around the two cats, locking Tails and Cream out of the room, and leaving Metal Tails free to tinker.

* * *

_METAL BURNING BLAZE_

Metal Burning Blaze stepped forward menacingly. She charged forward, and met Burning Blaze's foot. Burning Blaze dashed forth, plinking off Metal Burning Blaze. The two glared at each other. Burning Blaze spun her hand around, and shot a burst of flame at Metal Burning Blaze. Metal Burning Blaze simply increased the temperature, dissipating the flames. Or at the very least, merely causing them to become useless.

_My goddess… we're in a stalemate! _Burning Blaze exclaimed.

_*So it seems, Organic one…* _Metal Burning Blaze said. She charged forward, and kicked Burning Blaze in the chest. She stepped on both of Burning Blaze's wrists, and cooled the fire around Metal Tails. Tails, however, was still locked out.

"NO!" Tails cried out. Metal Tails turned from his mech, and his hands flurried about between Burning Blaze and Metal Burning Blaze. With a burst of purple light, Metal Tails' general was at full capacity.

Metal Burning Blaze smiled. The Sol Emeralds rested on the backs of her hands, her forehead, her breasts and her outer ankles, glowing with full strength. Somehow, Tails doubted that Metal Burning Blaze was going to revert.

_*My gratitude, Master Tails. I can now finally defeat Tails, and your strength will reach full potential! The world is about to become Metal!* _Metal Burning Blaze said triumphantly.

_*Speaking of which… the Master Beryl is now complete! Both the Master and the Super Emeralds will allow me to achieve world domination!* _Metal Tails boasted. Tails clenched his fist.

"Not if I have anything to say about it, you won't," Tails said. Metal Tails flew up, and soared into a hatch on top of the Master Beryl. The Master Beryl sprung to life, revealing itself as a limp, lifeless version of Tails. It seemed almost like a doll, and were it not for the deliberate mistakes, it would appear that the Master Beryl was simply a bigger Metal Tails.

_*Like it? I based it on one of that fool Eggman's failed designs of making me. You haven't seen the last of it… and I doubt you ever will!* _Metal Tails boasted. The Master Beryl magnified his voice a millionfold.

"Please be careful, Mr Tails!" Cream pleaded. Tails spun his tails around rapidly, and began to fly. All of a sudden, he felt insignificant against his foes.

* * *

_MASTER BERYL_

The Master Beryl hovered in the air, the head supporting the limp body. Twin laser beams shot from either eye, which Tails nimbly dodged. The effort sent him perspiring slightly, and Tails realised, with a start, how out of shape he was for this. He couldn't fly indefinitely… but he couldn't afford to stop. He reached for his Miles Electric.

_*Lose the gadgets, tails!* _Metal Burning Blaze said, lobbing a fireball at Tails. Tails flipped around, dodging the fiery orb, but feeling the Miles Electric fall out of his hands. He watched its descent, realising he was in for a long day of work building a replacement.

_*Not so tough now, are you, tails?* _Metal Burning Blaze asked. Her Sol Emeralds shone brightly, and a few more streams of fire blasted at Tails. Tails whizzed past each one, and felt a few of his hairs singed off. He pulled out the Piko Piko Hammer, and looked across at his foes in determination.

* * *

"You can do it, Mr Tails!" Cream called out from the ground. All she could see from the ground were the lower points of the Master Beryl's tails. She shivered slightly, and heard a few clanking noises. She turned around, and noticed a slew of shapes step forward.

"Eep!" Cream cried out. All of Metal Tails' Metallic army had appeared, from Metal Sonic to Metal Mighty.

_*Cute rabbit!* _Metal Big said cheerfully. Cream felt Cheese land in her ears, but what would one Chao do against this army?

*CLUNK*

Something had fallen from the sky, landing on Metal Amy's head. Metal Amy looked up, to see the Piko Piko Hammer.

_*Finally… I've got my hammer back!* _Metal Amy said.

"A-A-Amy…" Cream said, backing up slightly.

_*Don't worry, Cream. This won't hurt a bit…* _Metal Amy said. Cream closed her eyes, and heard the sound of hammer against… metal? She opened her eyes, and saw a not insignificant portion of the Metal army thrown against the wall.

"Amy?" Cream asked excitedly.

_*Did you really think I was going to hurt you, Cream?*_ Metal Amy asked, holding her hammer on her shoulder confidently. Cream looked dumbfounded.

"Amy, look out!" she cried out. Metal Mighty flung himself at Metal Amy, and Metal Amy swung her Piko Piko Hammer at him, knocking him out of flight.

_*Now look what you guys have gone and done. Tails is up there, fighting on his own, and we're down here, beating up on the little kid!* _Metal Amy said.

_*What do you mean, alone? He's got Blaze!* _Metal Silver said.

_*…Yes… They both do,* _Metal Amy said. Cream stepped back, and watched all of the Metallics shoot into the air in synch.

* * *

Tails' pockets were empty. For perhaps the first time in his life, he didn't have a plan. He couldn't stop his Metal counterpart, like Sonic could.

_*Am I seeing the start of an organic blue screen there? Cut to the chase, and let me singe you to pieces, tails!* _Metal Burning Blaze said.

"Tails… Tails?" he asked.

_*Oh great, he's malfunctioning!* _Metal Burning Blaze said.

"No… it seems like you're the one who's malfunctioning, Me… no, Blaze! You're in control! I can feel it!" Tails called out. Metal Burning Blaze's next fireball was in the palm of her hand, but she deigned to toss it.

_*What are you doing, my general? Knock him out of flight already!* _the Master Beryl said.

_*No…* _Metal Burning Blaze said, tossing a fireball right back at the Master Beryl. It caused the fireball to vanish, and the Sol Emeralds lost their power. Metal Burning Blaze started to malfunction, and dropped from the sky.

_*Teach you to disobey your master!* _the Master Beryl said. With another blast of lasers, Tails was struck. His tails stopped whirring, and he began to fall. Tails closed his eyes: he had failed.

_*C'mon, step it up!* _a familiar, laid-back voice said. Tails opened his eyes back up, to see Metal Sonic holding onto him.

_*Don't forget us!* _Metal Mighty said, punching a hole in the Master Beryl, and pulling out a Super Emerald. Several more of the Metallics followed suit, tossing them all forward in rhythm. The limp limbs of the Master Beryl forestalled Metal Tails' attempt to grab them before Metal Knuckles, who passed them to Tails.

_*It's all up to you, Tails. Show 'im what you're made of!* _Metal Sonic said.

_*Enough! Worthless, the lot of you!* _Metal Tails cried out. The Master Beryl's eyes glowed a deep blue, and the Metallic Army lost power at once. Tails started hovering, holding the Super Emeralds. He looked down, and saw Cream flying up, holding the wreckage of Metal Burning Blaze. Tails dived down, and closed his eyes. The Super Emeralds surrounded the trio.

_*What…* _Metal Burning Blaze asked weakly. The Super Emeralds dived in to the trio, and they powered up.

Tails became Super Tails, glowing golden with vitality. Four Super Flickies surrounded him, their brows furrowed with power.

The Metal Burning Blaze Unit's Sol Emeralds began to shine once more, and Metal Burning Blaze was back in business.

Cream felt Cheese's inner power flow through her, and saw two more Chao in her hands. She crossed them, her energy as Chaos Cream empowering her spirit.

_*What…* _Master Beryl said.

_We will show you what we're made of! _Chaos Cream said.

_We have what it takes to fight you! Super Emeralds against Master Emerald! _Super Tails said.

_*And you're not deactivating this Burning Blaze!* _Metal Burning Blaze exclaimed.

_MASTER BERYL_

Super Tails shot forward, and let his Flickies start pecking at the Master Beryl. Chaos Cream levelled her arm, and shot two Chao directly into the Master Beryl's eyes. Metal Burning Blaze shot a fireball at Master Beryl's neck, causing an opening to form. Super Tails quickly glided his way through, and landed in the cockpit beside Metal Tails.

_*You!* _Metal Tails cried out. Another burst of fire, and the bottom of the Master Beryl remained. Chaos Cream and Metal Burning Blaze remained on standby, waiting for Super Tails. Super Tails' Flickies dived in at out at Metal Tails, and he tried to swat them away.

_*Don't go to that control panel!* _Metal Tails said. _*There's… a self-destruct button to destroy all of your friends!*_

_That one over there, the big red one in the protective glass? I knew you'd never have a reason to press it before they rebelled. This switch, however, is the one that turns them all back on! _Super Tails said, flipping the on-off switch to on with great gusto.

_*You… how did you do this?* _Metal Tails asked.

_There's nothing less corruptible than an organic spirit. Show's over, _Super Tails said, knocking Metal Tails out of the roof of the Master Beryl. He followed him, and looked around at the Metallics.

_Now I just need to fix you all, _Super Tails said.

_*Oh, that won't be necessary…* _one of the Metallics said from behind Super Tails.

_Uh oh…_

* * *

_Robotnik! _Super Tails cried out.

_*Oh, now you call me that… you moronic fox! I can't believe I was so scared of you! But not any more… because I've got myself a nice, shiny new mech, and it's all thanks to you! _Metal Eggman said, still assuming the form of a mech. He dived in to the Master Beryl, and reconfigurements spun around. The Master Beryl morphed into something more.

_*Say hello to the Rubellite Andesine!* _Metal Eggman said. Super Tails just stared blankly.

_I think you're taking this gem theme naming just a little bit too far… _Super Tails said.

_*Fine. It's the Egg Fox. Happy?* _Metal Eggman asked. _*No, wait, why am I bothering? I will squish you here and now, meddlesome twin-tail!* _He looked around, and blasted Super Tails, causing the power of the Super Emeralds to slow down. Metal Burning Blaze held the now depowered Tails and Cream in each hand. Tails looked up, and saw Metal Tails finally come back down.

"That's it!" he said. He started flying, and grabbed Metal Tails.

_*Twin-tail?* _Metal Tails asked. Tails started hurriedly performing an operation on the pair. With a yellow glow, Metal Tails became the cyborg he always wanted to be.

_*Tails?* _Metal Burning Blaze asked.

_*Who else?* _Metal Tails asked. He fired a Buzz Bomber from his cannon, and created a Metal Cream casing around Cream. He held up the Super Emeralds again, and the three became their Super forms once more.

_*Bah! I don't understand why, but sure, I'll take on your Metal forms. After all, I have the switch right here!* _Metal Eggman said. He flipped it, and saw no change.

_*What?* _Metal Eggman asked.

_*Super Tails, Eggman. Super Tails!* _Metal Super Tails said.

_EGG FOX_

Metal Super Tails shot forward, firing four Buzz Flickies from his cannon. They flew to some of the Egg Fox's most vulnerable spots, and Metal Burning Blaze shot fireballs directly at each one. Metal Chaos Cream pulled out three Metal Chao, and threw all three directly at the Egg Fox. The Egg Fox started smoking, and spinning in circles.

_*Tails! Use the real super power of teamwork!* _Metal Sonic encouraged. Metal Super Tails grabbed the wrists of both Metal Burning Blaze and Metal Chaos Cream, and charged at the remnants of the Egg Fox. It burst, and the last of its pieces fell to the ground.

* * *

"You've done a good job, Tails," Sonic said, dusting his hands. It felt great to be back to normal. Metal Tails just smiled, as he turned to Metal Mighty, and let his hands flurry about. Within seconds, Mighty was back to normal.

"But I really don't recognise that guy," Sonic added.

_*Mighty the Armadillo. Last seen in '95," _Tails said, as Mighty sped away. He looked around, and dismantled more and more of the Metallic Army. He was even polite enough to undo the roboticisation of Eggman. Finally, the last of the Metallics was Metal Tails himself. Metal Tails let out a deep breath, and pulled apart his circuitry. He spun over himself like a top, leaving behind Tails.

"Well done, Tails," Blaze said, her Burning Blaze form finally having cooled off.

"Blaze," Tails said, nodding slightly.

"Listen, Tails… I…" Blaze started, before stopping. She looked down nervously.

"Blaze?" Sonic asked.

"It's… it's nothing. See you later, Tails," Blaze said, walking up to him. She kissed him on the cheek, and stepped behind him. Tails turned around in shock, but Blaze had already left.

"Blaze… thank you. Without you, we'd all be doomed," Tails said.


End file.
